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Caleb was right. Addie was as punctual as they came, as well as being considerate. And she and Caleb loved each other to distraction. They were always respectful of each other, and Daniel knew Addie wouldn’t allow Caleb to worry needlessly.
“What do you need me to do? Do you want to get in the car and try to find her?” Daniel asked, knowing Caleb was out of his mind with worry. He hated seeing his laid back brother so close to losing it. “I can head out in my car as well.”
“What’s wrong?” Their mother had walked over with a look of worry etched on her beautiful features. “You two are both looking like the world is about to end. Spill it!”
Caleb patted her on the shoulder. “I’m just a little worried about Addie. She should be here by now.”
“Have you tried to call her?” Penelope asked, stress lines showing on her face.
“Many times but it goes straight to voice mail. We didn’t come here together because Addie wanted to go visit her father. He hasn’t been feeling well.” He made a face. “I should have gone with her but I had to do some prep work at the bistro.”
All of a sudden a cry went up and Daniel spotted Addie walking down the back porch stairs. A sense of profound relief swept through him. He didn’t want to imagine Caleb’s devastation if something had happened to Addie.
“Caleb. She’s here,” Daniel announced.
Caleb whipped his head around and went rushing toward his wife, who was carrying a small pink box in her hand. Daniel recognized it as the signature box from a macaron shop in town. When Caleb reached her side he took the box from her and placed it down on a side table. He swept her up in his arms and pressed a kiss against her lips. Everyone at the picnic table began clapping. Daniel walked over and seated himself next to Lorelei, placing a plate down in front of her.
“Sorry I took so long.”
“No worries. I got a chance to chat with all of your sisters-in-law, as well as your sister. She’s a real hoot. She has an opinion on everything.” Lorelei reached for the burger on her plate and took a big bite. She made a satisfied sound, then giggled self-consciously. “Sorry if I’m making rude sounds, but this burger is really hitting the spot.”
Daniel smiled. He loved watching Lorelei eat with such gusto. “I’m not sure if you met my brother, Caleb, but that’s his wife Addie who just walked in. Caleb couldn’t reach Addie and he was really getting worried about her,” Daniel explained. “Those two are like two peas in a pod. I think not being able to reach her made him really nervous.”
“Your poor brother. So that explains the romantic greeting,” Lorelei said, her eyes wandering toward Addie and Caleb. “They really seem like they’re in love.” He wasn’t certain, but he thought Lorelei’s voice held a note of wistfulness. Maybe she also wanted the love story.
“Addie and Caleb are the real deal. Addie came to work with Caleb at his bistro and although he was kind of forced to work with her due to her father’s stake in his restaurant, they fell in love.”
Lorelei grinned. “That’s sweet. It sounds like a movie.”
“Okay, lovebirds. Why don’t you get some food and sit down?” Parker suggested to Caleb and Addie. He had his son Logan sitting on his lap and his wife, Cadence by his side.
Addie and Caleb walked toward the gathering hand in hand. Addie—her brown skin shimmering in the sun and dark curls framing
her radiant face—was speaking softly to Caleb. Although Daniel couldn’t hear what she was saying, he had a feeling she was apologizing for worrying him.
“You had us so worried!” Penelope said, placing a kiss on Addie’s cheek. “Caleb was practically jumping out of his skin.”
“I’m so sorry, Penelope. I was just telling Caleb that I got a flat tire and my cell phone died. A good Samaritan came upon me on and he helped me change the flat. I had to wait away from the car for safety. I’m so sorry I worried you,” Addie said, her voice filled with contrition. She seemed a little emotional. Daniel and the others watched as Caleb reached for her and pulled her against his chest. He began stroking her back in a comforting gesture. Daniel looked around him at his other family members. Something was definitely up. There was a tension lingering in the air. It seemed obvious to Daniel there was something more going on than a flat tire.
Caleb let out a sigh as he let Addie go. They shared an intense gaze, then Addie nodded her head. Caleb turned toward the group. “There’s been a lot going on with us lately. We wanted to wait till it was safe to say something to all of you. Addie is pregnant. We’re expecting a baby.”
For a moment there was silence, following by a massive eruption from the entire family. Everyone began to get excited, resulting in lots of noise and screams and congratulations.
Caleb’s smile was tight while Addie leaned in to her husband for support. Daniel looked over at Lorelei. She had a worried look on her face, which was telling since she didn’t know either Caleb or Addie. Like Daniel, she clearly sensed there was more to the story.
Caleb held up his hand to quiet everyone down. “Normally, pregnancy news is joyous. Unfortunately for us, it’s also wracked with uncertainty. Addie’s doctor ended up doing some tests because her early blood tests were a bit off. We found out that her pregnancy is high risk so we’re just praying she’ll carry the baby full term.”
“We’re very excited about the baby,” Addie said, wiping away tears. “But it’s a bit nerve racking at the same time. We wanted to tell you but we’ve been waiting just to make it to four months.”
“Oh, what blessed news,” Penelope said. “I know it must be scary, but we’ll all be praying for you.”
Jude stepped forward and embraced Addie. She began to cry against his chest. “There there, my girl. Everything is going to be all right. You do know this family is full of prayer warriors, don’t you? God will watch over this child.” Jude placed his hand on Addie’s belly.
For the first time Daniel noticed a slight swelling in her abdomen. Although his siblings had seemed to be paralyzed by the news, they were slowly coming out of it. Everyone began to crowd around them with words of support and congratulations. Caleb seemed in a better frame of mind now that he’d told the family about the baby. Daniel imagined it must have been hard to hide that sort of information and deal with his worry for Addie and the baby on his own.
Daniel went over and reached for Addie’s hand, squeezing it tightly. He leaned toward her and whispered in her ear, “Everything will be all right. You and Caleb deserve blessings more than anyone else I know. I’ll be praying for my little niece or nephew. We love you.”
Addie placed a kiss on Daniel’s cheek. “Thanks, Daniel. We love you too. To the moon and back.”
